Media ~ Tell the FULL STORY of Taxpayers Money in Broward Public ESE Education

The part of this Sun Sentinel News story that wasn't included is the fact that Broward Public Schools is NOT doing their part with TAXPAYER MONEY for many students with learning disabilities either. 

Parents are retaliated against for Advocating for the much needed services for their child via the IEP Process. Many Principals, District Admins and teachers have an outdated mindset for some students with IEP's and don't want to do the right things by many ESE Students. THANK GOD for the McKay and that there are the different VOUCHERS for parents to make the choice to remove their children from Broward County Public Schools so they CAN GO ELSEWHERE where there are NO HASSLES and our Children and Parents are treated with RESPECT when Advocating for the much needed services and supports parents know their children need. 

Sun Sentinel ~ Tell the REAL STORY of why parents are LEAVING Broward Public schools for Private or Charter. 

The Public Schools are NOT USING TAXPAYERS MONEY as they should be on our Special Needs Students...they are WAREHOUSING THEM into NON-ACADEMIC - NON-DIPLOMA Track ESE Cluster Classrooms and some families want more for their Children than what Broward Public Schools wants to do for our children. 

Enough is enough and parents have the choice and the right to take their Child's Taxpayers money's and 'shop elsewhere'.!! 

Wish the Sun-Sentinel would tell the FULL Story of what really is or is not going on with ESE students and families in Broward Schools!

*Sun Sentinel interview some of the parents that have withdrawn their children with IEP's from attending a Broward Public School and ask them WHY and what are the real reasons they enroll their children in Private and Charter schools. 

Tell the FULL STORY of how our Taxpayer monies are being used in Public Education here in Broward. ESE Monies!!

Click link here for Sun Sentinel story: 
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/broward/fl-mckay-scholarship-no-ese-20140606,0,7092946.story

Click link here for Sun Sentinel data base MAP to Private & Charter schools in Broward:
http://databases.sun-sentinel.com/news/broward/schoolmap/#/?address=110%20Southeast%2010th%20Avenue%2C%20Fort%20Lauderdale%2C%20FL%2C%20United%20States%20Florida%20Florida&radius=16100

8 Teachers from Broward & Palm Beach Disciplined ~ For doing some Crazy Crap!

BACKGROUND CHECKS & PROPER TRAINING EVERY YEAR for ALL PUBLIC SCHOOL EMPLOYEES! ~ MANDATED!

By Scott Travis, Sun Sentinel

7:09 p.m. EST, November 12, 2013

"The state has disciplined eight area teachers and former teachers for incidents that allegedly happened both inside and outside their classrooms." 

Click link below for full article from the Sun-Sentinel. 

http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/broward/fl-teacher-discipline-state-20131112,0,1967364.story

This is some crazy crap a couple of teachers are 'getting caught at' doing off and on-the-job! What the heck is wrong with some of these people? Are you kidding me?? 

Most of them will continue to do what they do...they get a slap on the wrist for unprofessional behavior and no work ethics! Get rid of them for good if they have proven themselves uncaring and without morals in the treatment of the students and people they are assigned to work with. 

These slaps on the wrist are becoming more common and in the news all too often....especially stories pertaining to abuse of some sort towards students with special learning needs. 

Camera's in ALL CLASSROOMS is maybe something that should be put on the table for discussion. Setting up cameras as a monitoring tool used as SPOT CHECKS of any classroom every now and again or anywhere within the school and work place.  This will help to ensure and document that things are running smoothly on any given day. Cameras could be set up overnight if there is ever a concern for what is taking place within any given area of the school campus. Portable cameras that move around the campus if there is such resistance to having permanent cameras placed and running everyday in certain classrooms. If everyone is doing their job professionally, there should be no worries about what gets captured and recorded on any given day. 

Absolutely camera's are needed in ESE and Special Education Classrooms all day every day! There have been way too many abuse stories going on with our students receiving Special Education and seems the stories are increasing.

If you are concerned for our - YOUR Children at school and your Child maybe more vulnerable to being taken advantage of because of being a student in Special Education, please join the Cameras In Special Needs Classrooms Facebook group that has almost 14,000 members! https://www.facebook.com/CamerasInSpecialNeedsClassrooms

Up to their games already in Broward for ESE parents via emails

It's very upsetting to know some Broward School Principals are ALREADY UP TO THEIR GAMES THEY LOVE TO PLAY WITH ESE PARENTS!!! 

The bantering of emails already ~ The TIME & EFFORT Principals & ESE Staff from 2 different Broward Public schools are already putting in back and forth to these parents is not a way to create the good customer service talked about so often in our district. 

Must be a 'green light' given to Principals from District Administrators or a new training on how to respond to ESE parent emails. 

*This information is coming from 2 different parents that have children with Down syndrome.

We are experiencing the Civil Rights Movement of ADA & IDEA in 2013+.

Seems no matter which AGENCY in the State of Florida accepting Federal Funds...our children with Down syndrome are the ones being denied & discriminated at every level of government!!! 

We are experiencing the Civil Rights Movement of ADA & IDEA in 2013 right now. 

Every Agency needs to be held accountable for their Actions against people! The Discrimination & Segregation need to end!!

*This absolutely may very well be true in other States with any and all other persons with Disabilities. 

Do you find this to be true? What State are you from?

I have a daughter with Down syndrome and I live in the State of Florida.

2/5/13 Broward School Board Meeting ~ ESE Parents Speaking Out

BECON-TV Video
M_02-05-2013 

Entire Broward Public School Board Meeting held on Tuesday Feb. 5th, 2013. Several ESE Parents Speaking out at the 2/5/13 School board meeting starts at 116. on the video. 

ESE REFORM is needed now!

Please share this video!

Steps 4 Change is needed now!

https://becon223.eduvision.tv/Default.aspx?q=IsahXh4JBPSXSCmY0VGDVg%253d%253d#

"NEW ESE THINGS" ~ Can District ESE Departments really do these?

My post today is to inform and educate ESE PARENTS and the Public on things.....today it's about a few of the "NEW ESE THINGS" that are of great concern to me....and should be a concern to others as well!!

Excerpt taken from:
Exceptional Student Education
ESE Advisory Council
Report to DAC - District Advisory Council
October 10th, 2012

To read the entire report click on this link:
http://www.browardadvisory.org/agendas-minutes
Look at the top of the list for: 
121114 DAC Nov Agenda Packet.pdf

The Advisory is currently examining the changes in the IEP documentaion: namely closing out the IEP goals prior to the meeting of the Annual IEP, elimination of signatures on the IEP document, elimination of the names of participants at the IEP, the elimination of the Title "Advocate": on the IEP document. Titles of participants still appear on the IEP. ESE parents have expressed concerns that these changes do not help the collaborative process between the parents and the schools and that the general population of ESE parents were not 
informed of these changes.

The ESE Parent Exit Survey has been drafted by the Advisory Committee is currently being reviewed by the Department of Research and Evaluation for future distribution to ESE parents at the end of their child's IEP. Data will be examined to review any areas of the IEP process that may need improvement or reform.

.....I'm just curious WILL THE ESE PARENTS be "manning this EXIT Survey?" Will it be anonymous? 

Excerpt taken from:
Report to School Board Meeting
ESE Advisory Council Meetings
School Board of Broward County
November 7th, 2012
K.C.Wright Building, Fort Lauderdale, Florida

Parents have expressed great concerns and disagreed with the changes to the IEP that was put into place without proper notification to our ESE parents. 

These changes include the following:

a.) Elimination of any IEP team discussion with the parent concerning the mastery of goals, unless the parent "requests" such a discussion for a given goal at their Annual IEP. Parents will not be afforded the opportunity at the Annual IEP to review current data that supports any decision concerning the mastery or revision of goals on the previous IEP.
b.) Elimination of names and signatures of attendees at the IEP's
c.) Elimination of the title "Advocate" as a category for an invited person to the IEP.

While these changes may be legal, the question to ask is will it promote collaboration between a school and a parent when such changes only create further questions of school accountability. 

Click here for direct link to website with this public information. Click this link to the District Advisory Council aka DAC website for Broward Schools, click her to read the entire report click:

http://www.browardadvisory.org/agendas-minutes

Look at the top of the list for:

12114 DAC Nov Agenda Packet.pdf

Are these ESE Parental Concerns something that the general population really even cares about? Probably not. Unless you are an ESE Parent on the receiving end of some of these "NEW ESE THINGS" that are being presented at the ESE Advisory Council and reported about at the District School Board meetings, these "NEW ESE THINGS" can and do go quietly UNNOTICED by the General Population of "parents & school board members".!! UNLESS as I said, you are an ESE Parent or Student on the receiving end of some of these NEW & IMPROVED way that the "NEW ESE THINGS" are being done here in our school district.

Just wanted to inform and educate the general population that the "NEW ESE THINGS" that are NOW taking place. I believe this is all WRONG anyway you look at it!!

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http://www.wrightslaw.com/
Parents, educators, advocates, and attorneys come to Wrightslaw for accurate, reliable information about special education law, education law, and advocacy for children with disabilities. 

Begin your search in the Advocacy Libraries and Law Libraries. You will find thousands of articles, cases, and resources about dozens of topics:

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Jenny's death is one of two that has rocked the exceptional education department of the school district.

Jenny's death is one of two that has rocked the exceptional education department of the school district.

Elia calling for dismissals after drowning of Riverview student

TAMPA -- Two aides should be fired and the principal and assistant principal should be removed from their positions at Rodgers Middle School in the aftermath of the drowning of a special-needs student.

..."That's if Superintendent MaryEllen Elia has her way. She will recommend to the Hillsborough County School Board next week that Principal Sharon Tumicki and Assistant Principal Shawn Livingston be dismissed from their jobs at the Riverview school...."

Jenny's death is one of two that has rocked the exceptional education department of the school district.

Last January, Isabella Herrera, a second-grader with a neuromuscular disorder, died a day after having a medical issue on a school bus on the way home. Neither the driver nor the aide called 911 as she turned blue and stopped breathing.

The school district is in the midst of an examination of many of its policies and procedures in the Exceptional Student Education department, and the former director of the ESE area sought a transfer to another department.

rshaw@tampatrib.com (813) 259-7999
http://tbo.ly/VPaWfM

Click here to be directed to the FULL ARTICLE: http://www2.tbo.com/news/education-news/2013/jan/09/3/aides-expected-to-be-disciplined-in-death-of-girl-ar-602048/

Click here for another article to this story: http://www2.tbo.com/news/news/2012/nov/01/drowned-riverview-girls-mom-blames-school-ar-550529/          
The mother of an 11-year-old girl with Down syndrome who drowned last week after walking out of a crowded school gym said teachers and aides are to blame for her daughter's death.

"I think it was negligence from them for not offering (extra) care for children with special needs," said Elizabeth Rosas, the mother of Jennifer "Jenny" Caballero. "If they had had more care for my daughter, this would have never happened."

She wants investigators to find out exactly what happened at Rodgers Middle School in Riverview on the afternoon of Oct. 22.

"I want everything to be cleared up," Rosas said. "I want justice. I don't want the same thing that happened to my daughter to happen to another child because of poor care."

Jenny was in a gymnasium at Rodgers Middle School in Riverview on Oct. 22 when a student alerted teachers that the girl had slipped out of the gym.


An overall review of the ESE department also is under way.

Hillsborough school board members criticize Wieland's transfer

Click link here for full story. 
http://www2.tbo.com/news/breaking-news/2013/jan/08/3/memeto1-school-administrator-transfer-criticized-b-ar-600796/

Wieland, who had been the general director of exceptional-student education, requested a transfer last month after her department was rocked by the deaths of two special-needs students and the arrests of two district employees on child-abuse charges.

Reading the comments listed after each of these articles is GREAT READING as well. Comments that could be true of any school district!!!

I wonder how this is affecting all the FLORIDA Districts "ESE Departments" and their "Policies".....hmmm I wonder if this will HELP the entire STATE and our ESE Education! Particularly for the Disability Specific TRAININGS of the Unique Aides or Para Professionals or whatever job title used for the person working the closest to our person needing 'assistance'. 

We can only HOPE it does!!!

October is National Down syndrome Awareness Month ~ My Recommendation for Broward County Public Schools

My Recommendations for Broward County Public Schools: Provide training that is ACADEMICALLY meaningful to those that will be working with students that have Down syndrome. 

Our children are not lab experiments to go to school only to have LOGS & CHECK MARKS taken on them for doing every little thing pertaining to how 'they act' while in school.

If only schools staff would track what they are TEACHING ACADEMICALLY to our Children instead of looking for so much "stuff" that they (school teachers, aides, administrators) turn into and create into negative behaviors they then want to focus in on instead of teaching our kiddo's with DS.

School staff are encouraging and creating many of the negative behaviors they are tracking!!

Our children with Down syndrome need sound academic support, not negative 'data' created that only tracks every little move they do.

What about tracking and creating data that shows; WHAT ARE THEY TEACHING TO OUR CHILDREN.

Teachers and all staff working with students with Down syndrome NEED DOWN SYNDROME SPECIFIC TRAINING provided by NATIONAL EXPERTS!

Has anyone from Broward County Public Schools ever attended any Down syndrome National Conventions?

How many teachers and aides actually attend Down syndrome specific training...bet there are more teachers and staff attending and looking into Autism specific training from National experts.

Our students with Down syndrome need academic support with sound researched based practices.

Bring in National EXPERTS to TRAIN this District on, "How to teach students with Down syndrome."

Thanks ~ that would be my recommendation for Broward schools. ....especially those teaching and working with students with Down syndrome. That includes the LEA and AREA PROGRAM SPECIALISTS that attend our children's IEP meetings. THEY NEED THE TRAINING THE MOST because they are the ones CONTROLLING OUR CHILDREN'S IEP MEETINGS TODAY here in Broward County.

OCTOBER IS NATIONAL DOWN SYNDROME AWARENESS MONTH ~ Let's do something POSITIVE for our Students and their families this month especially!! 

ANOTHER Broward special ed teacher probed = GOOD!!!!!

Broward special ed teacher probed
If any of this is may POSSIBLY happen and go on inside a particular SPECIAL ED CLASS just once....and we only KNOW ABOUT IT because she got caught!!! Curious to know how many times 'co-workers' told the Principal about it. You can TRUST THAT THIS SORT OF THING IS HAPPENING MORE THAN ANY OF US WOULD EVER WANT TO IMAGINE OR BELIEVE!! 

How easy is it for PARENTS of students sitting in CLUSTER CLASSROOMS to have an opportunity to come in and visit, observe, VOLUNTEER in our Children's Cluster Classrooms? Hmmmmm this would be good data to see IF ANY or HOW MANY ESE Parents are ever visiting or volunteering in Cluster or Resource Classrooms. Maybe this would help some of those teachers that are getting OLD and need to go.....those that are showing signs of verbal and physical abuse on ESE Students.

Time for our Children to have CAMERA'S IN ALL SPECIAL ED CLASSROOMS!!!

Click the link above to read the full article. 
POST A COMMENT ~ What to YOU think? 

Read the full article and tell me this allowed every day "OUR CHILDREN" go to school and we TRUST OUR SCHOOLS TO EDUCATE OUR SPECIAL ED CHILDREN IN CLUSTERS??? Get our children into MAINSTREAM classrooms and INCUDE them into REGULAR Classrooms where it's the real world...and not a 'special ed world' that this sort of nonsense goes on more than many want to admit! Parents ....pay attention and inquire, ask, request, continue to ask your Child's teacher(s)....WHAT IS GOING ON IN YOUR CHILD'S EDUCATION! Get daily notes home that satisify YOU, don't be satisified with the "BEHAVIOR NOTES" the schools want to provide...but request what is your Child doing ACADEMICALLY each day. Make sure you recieve daily notes home pertaining to WHAT your Child did in school that day.


"According to the administrative complaint filed in July, Cohen used "inappropriate restraints to control or manage autistic and exceptional education students" while teaching last year.

The complaint alleges Cohen told one of her students, "you're the cripple, what are you going to do, beat up the retard," referring to a student in a wheelchair.

In another instance, Cohen apparently had the class mock a student who was twirling her hair, the complaint states.

She is also accused of calling a student a "brat" for needing to use the toilet and unplugging the battery cord to a student's wheelchair and then saying, "Who has the power now? I'm the queen of this class and I have the power over you."

18-22 year olds ~ What IS available to them in School?

Guess this is the NEW THING for ESE Students in Broward Schools. *Living in certain areas of the County only. Please Read and see if you see your son or daughter part of this program once they turn 18 and are still entitled to attend a PUBLIC SCHOOL till the year they turn 22? This may be good for 'some' InD students but certainly not for ALL...so what I want to know is what IS available NOW in our Public Schools for our 18-22 year olds? How about attending one of the fabulous TECHNICAL SCHOOLS or Dog Grooming or VET TECH Training programs, or Early Childhood Training? Are these available to InD eligible students today? ...especially for our InD ESE Students here in Broward County Public Schools....inquiring minds want to know more on this 'new program' and what ELSE is available....today.

Please click the link below and read the entire article and comment and let me know what you think. 

http://library.constantcontact.com/download/get/file/1102176317197-1127/ARC+Broward+School+for+HIRE.pdf

BROWARD ESE ADVISORY 8/29/12 6-9PM 1st Meeting

Put in your Calendar for the 1st 
"Meet and Greet" 2012-2013 School Year!
Broward ESE Advisory Council 
Wednesday, August 29th, 2012 
Piper High School 
6:00PM - 9:00PM
*Meetings will be starting 1/2 hour earlier this year promptly at 6PM

~ School Board member, Robin Bartleman will discuss what has changed in our School District and the challenges ahead for the school year. 

~ Any question concerning Exceptional Student Education and IEP's will be answered by a panel of invited Agencies and ESE Deprtment Staff. 

~ BUS Transportation will be addressed

BROWARD ESE ADVISORY is on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/groups/238143282951552/

If you are unable to attend the meeting the 
Phone Bridge will be available by calling in at:
(754) 321-0810 ID# 978006

*!* IMPORTANT PHONE-BRIDGE CALL-IN INFORMATION  *!*
If your phone does not have a MUTE feature ~ use the #5 button anytime during the conference to mute & unmute yourself or everyone can hear you doing the dinner dishes or the TV volume in the background. Thank you for MUTING the Phone-Bridge Call-in! 

SEE YOU THERE!

Broward County Public Schools ESE Department is NOT for our children!! ~ What has happened to Mariah's Individual Education Plan is PROOF!!

Mariah's ESE Wilson Reading Teacher and ESE Specialist and some STRANGER PROGRAM SPECIALIST all followed the leader of systematically DUMBING DOWN my daughters Individual Educational Plan! THIS IS WHY I DON'T BELIEVE IN ESE TEACHERS TEACHING MY DAUGHTER! THEY HAVE THE LOWEST EXPECTATIONS for children with disabilities ~ the very students they 'serve'. My ESE Specialist became a ROBOT like the rest of the ESE Department in Broward Schools. 


My daughter has been LET DOWN from the very staff members that always 'claimed' they cared for Mariah's best interest. 


*I know my CAPITAL WRITING is going to OFFEND some really WONDERFUL ESE TEACHERS and I'm sorry for that! I know there are plenty of ESE Teachers that are the BEST Teachers out there working their tails off doing a great job with our children with unique learning challenges ~ Mariah has received SES TUTORING from some really WONDERFUL ESE Certified Teachers.....but I am hurting here by the ESE Teachers/staff that I have had my daughter under their care and they have crapped on me and trampled on Mariah's freedom to continue working hard towards earning a REAL HIGH SCHOOL DIPLOMA!!! I have every right to be ?FUMING MAD!! 


Mariah has taken 4 FCAT's already!! What the heck is going on with so many school staff acting so UNFRIENDLY and COLD HEARTED LATELY? I know the new principal likes to CENSOR all my emails and not allow staff to email me back...that's ok...I can still write my emails and blogs! 


If Mariah was being kicked by a group of adults would ANYONE STOP THEM? This is what is happening to her now! But it is all being done on her legal educational documents! 
Mariah deserves YOUR HELP & SUPPORT!!


I will get to WHO IS BEHIND all this nonsense! 
I need lots of prayers ~ as I fight for my daughter's quality education that I have fought so hard for thus far and don't intend to stop now.


Too bad there are BAD PEOPLE with BAD INTENTIONS that work in our schools to make a paycheck only ~ working for  the 6th largest school district in the Country!  Teachers & Staff sitting in our IEP meetings saying they are the Professionals? Really....? Mariah's ESE teacher & ESE Specialist  spit on my daughter's future educational dreams and expectations!!


...Mariah ~ I will make things right for you ~ I always do...I'm your mother! 
The momma tiger is MAD!!


Broward County Public Schools ESE Department is  NOT for our children!! The department head does not have the BEST INTEREST of our ESE Children as her highest concern ~ What has happened to Mariah's Individual Education Plan is PROOF there is a SYSTEMATIC WAY OF DUMBING DOWN THE IEP Process & our children's education ~ and sending in ESE Program Specialist to ARGUE RELENTLESSLY with good parents of wonderful children.....if they can get away with it!!...and they do plenty!!


I would like an INTERIM like I have been asking for since MARCH! When will Stephen Foster Elementary School give me a date for my interim IEP? THEY IGNORED setting up a meeting for me till 5/30/12 and then the ESE Department sent in ROBOTS to come sabotage and ARGUE!!


My daughter's Annual was not due till September 22nd, 2012. WHY WAS I BEING FORCED TO HAVE AN ANNUAL and not the IEP update Interim or end of the year IEP I have ALWAYS HAD EACH YEAR?


DISPICABLE & DISGUSTING!!

Annual IEP's left open in DRAFT form over the Summer?

How long can a DRAFT of an Annual IEP be left OPEN in the EzIEP system? If an IEP team in Broward has not set up enough time to hold an effective collaborative ANNUAL Transition into Kindergarten IEP for a student, especially a student with significant physical needs entering Kindergarten in the Fall ....does that mean the students IEP is just an "open" document in Draft form over the entire summer or does that mean the required Annual Date of completing the Annual IEP is now out of compliance? ....again...just askin.....any Special Ed lawyers out there? Please comment and let's open this for rich discussion.

What is Good Customer Service ~ in our Public Schools?

Good customer service ~ What does it mean to each of us? What does good customer service in our Public schools mean to us? 


I know for me it means the people that greets me first in a school are friendly and nice. That would be the front office person and the one that picks up and answers the school phone. 


Good customer service in a school means all staff LOOK AT YOU and maybe say "hi" to you, even though they aren't even your child's teacher. When on a school campus and most of the ADULT STAFF 'act' like they don't see you like that you are not even there, that is not good customer service! It has always amazed me how so many adult administration, teachers and staff can all act so stand offish and unfriendly. If this is what you are experiencing at your school...you are not alone. This is becoming the norm in many public schools. 


Good customer service is about treating Parents as Partners in Education. It's about working together as a community and as a collaborative team, to help educate all our children, our future generation! 


When a parent wants to be involved, accept them as partners and give them something to do, especially if they have certain talents for things and they have 'signed up' to be called to volunteer. Allow all kinds of parents into the 'inner circle' of volunteering within our schools. Too many parents are being made to feel they are not wanted on our school campuses anymore. Special Ed Parents especially are being shut out from being on the campus at all sometimes. *Only a special ed parent that has experienced this will agree that this is exactly what is happening more and more....at many schools.


The reason families make decisions to leave the Public School system is because they are being made to feel not welcomed anymore. Parents are not valued as equal partners in our child's education. Parents are tired of the closed doors and the silent treatment from 'site based management' where the principal rules over our schools like a dictatorship. 


I used to see our previous principal, Mr. Cassaw just about each and every time I visited the school to have lunch with my children. He always made it a point to say hello and even sat with us on the outside picnic tables and shared a little friendly chat. Nice man that can come out of their office to greet parents and give them some of his time and be interested enough to even get to know the parents of his students at the school. Thank you Mr. Cassaw for being a respected leader of Stephen Foster. Your leadership is missed by this involved parent. Hope you are enjoying the fishing!


Principals are the ones that set the tone of our schools. If the parents are feeling unhappy due to the 'tone' of the campus then the teachers and staff are unhappy as well! If their is an unspoken 'rule' to not be friendly to the parents or don't talk to them unless you have to ~ those are the attitudes of administration.  Site based management IS THE PROBLEM most of the time! 


I am with heavy heart writing this post, because it is how my wonderful little elementary school; Stephen Foster Elementary school has become lately....many teachers and staff are absolutely the BEST but they are few. For the most part after 11 years at the same school, it is sad to say it has lousy customer service. My daughter's school has become so unfriendly, stand-offish, almost snobbish...a few of the teachers are. Some staff have never had a collaborative conversation with me and they could have and should have in those 11 years. It is sad to know that the school I believed in for so many years has become just another Public school that isn't welcoming parents like they should.  ....all parents....especially the pro-active parents raising a child with Special needs. In conversations with others, I have listened to several parents , parents of a gifted students, parents that speak another language, parents of Special needs child and from my own experiences as well. The common feelings are common that....there is a disconnect and the communication is not there.

~ Partner with Parents and open the doors to the positive possibilities of what any and all the parents can provide to the "family-like-community" within our school. Teachers and staff....be friendly and say hi to us even if you don't have our child in your class. We appreciate all of you and what you do for our children throughout the school year. 


We want our school back!

1 HOUR 15 Minute IEP Meetings ~ PURE NONSENSE!!

Why do some schools only allow for just an 1 HOUR & 15 minutes to have an  ANNUAL IEP meeting that also needs to include the Matriculation into Kindergarten and now also a Reevaluation Plan meeting??? 


*That's right all that NEEDED to be covered in just a ONE HOUR & 15 MINUTE IEP MEETING! Who are they kidding? 




How can anyone even think so much can be covered and worked on "collaboratively" in an hour & 15 minutes? 


BROWARD ESE DEPARTMENT ~ WHY & HOW DO ESE SPECIALIST CONTINUE TO GET AWAY WITH DOING THIS TO FAMILIES YEAR AFTER YEAR?


Pure deliberate nonsense I say! 

~ LIVE SCHOOL BOARD MEETINGS ~

BCPS ~ Broward County Public School ~ Board Meeting Live  

Watch live events of School Board meetings and other on-demand videos.
Click the below link to view LIVE as they are happening school board meetings and workshops. 
https://www.browardschools.com/becon/stream.htm


School board members & school board meetings
http://www.browardschools.com/schoolboard/

CLASSROOM OBSERVATIONS by ESE Parents & Advocates

Dear ESE Parents & ESE Parent Advocates of Broward Public Schools,

When ESE Parents and/or an ESE Parent Advocate request an observation of an ESE Student in their classroom settings in preparation of upcoming IEP ~ FBA ~ PBIP ~ TIEP meetings, this is the BTU Article Five that ESE Parents & ESE Parent Advocates are quoted. 

I have highlighted what pertains to us as ESE Parents & ESE Parent Advocates.

Please read the BTU contract Articles I have included pertaining to OBSERVATIONS.

As good ESE Parents & ESE Parent Advocates we all need to become keenly aware of all sorts of policies & rules, even the BTU ~ Broward Teachers Union Policies. Here is the direct link to all the Broward Teachers Union Policies. 

http://www.broward.k12.fl.us/employeerelations/teach_tableof.htm

ARTICLE FIVE

CONDITIONS OF EMPLOYMENT

http://www.broward.k12.fl.us/employeerelations/BTU_PDFs_for_Website/ARTICLE5_BTU.pdf

O. Interruptions to Teaching:   

Unauthorized personnel shall not be allowed to interrupt or otherwise disturb an employee during the performance of his/her professional responsibilities.  

Observations of an employee's class by persons other than school system personnel shall be allowed only after consent has been granted by the principal or his/her designee, notification to the employee, and proper security clearance has been granted.  The visitation shall be scheduled no sooner than two (2) workdays after notification, except in extenuating circumstances as determined by the affected principal. Such observations shall be no longer than one (1) hour in length.  Upon request, a building administrator shall be present in the employee’s classroom during the entire observation period. 

District personnel visiting an employee’s class during a formal and preplanned visit for purposes of observing either the employee or students in the employee’s classroom shall do so only after the employee has been notified by the principal.  Each visit shall require the observer to provide feedback to the employee within a reasonable period of time.

Employees should be able to perform their professional responsibilities free from unnecessary interruptions or disturbances.  To the extent possible, maintenance, custodial and construction work will be done at a time or in a manner which will not result in interruptions or disturbances of the employee's professional responsibilities. The same shall apply to the use of intercommunication systems.

Inclusion of students with disabilities in gen ed classrooms.

http://www.broward.k12.fl.us/employeerelations/BTU_PDFs_for_Website/ARTICLE35_BTU.pdf

ARTICLE THIRTY-FIVE

INCLUSION

A. Training Plan:  

When the affected school's IEP Committee recommends placement in a regular education classroom for a student with a severe disability who is already attending a Broward County school, a training plan shall be developed by the receiving school, with the input of the sending school staff and the receiving teachers, prior to the student attending the regular classroom.  Health and Safety training components of the plan will be completed prior to the student's placement.

B. New Student to District:    

When a student with a severe disability with an IEP that includes placement in a regular class transfers to Broward County from another county or state, a training plan shall be developed by the receiving school, with the input of the receiving teachers, no later than ten (10) days after the first day of the student's attendance in a district school.  Health and Safety training components of the plan will be completed prior to the student's placement.

C. Students Placed With Volunteer Teachers:

Recognizing that special needs students who are placed into the regular school program are more likely to be successful when the teacher receiving the student has volunteered for the assignment,the district shall seek teacher volunteers for the Inclusion program.

The Closed Door Policy 1.1

I have a story I want to write....a story that many will be able to relate to. It's about being a mom...or a dad of child that has unique learning challenges and requires special education while at school. Our Public Schools today have lots of students with Special Needs ~ with the increase in students with Autism and many other learning and developmental disabilities and students with Down syndrome attending our local neighborhood schools, our Public School System is not like it was just 20 years ago. 


Today if you are a parent with a son or daughter with a disability you pretty much need to go to as many parent trainings, disability support groups, disability specific conferences and national conventions just to learn how to navigate special ed services and the IEP process and basically how to help ensure your son or daughter receives a quality education via the Public School System, and that's no matter where you live!


I became an Advocate first for my own daughter and son and eventually started helping other parents learn how to be a good Advocate for their children. It has been a learning experience to say the least!


One of the things that is starting to really bug me is all this talk about Parent Involvement, especially here in Broward County. Parent Engagement is the new saying, as I have recently been hearing, I like that better. I am an involved parent in both of my children's education! I was an involved parent before I officially became a 'parent' even! My future husband, while I was dating him...I was involved in his 7 year old son's education. I eventually had him tested for possibly being gifted. I attended several of his school events before I officially was his stepmom. Education is important to me and helping children do well in school is very important to me as well!


Today, I am a proud parent to a beautiful & talented 13 year old daughter with Down syndrome and a keenly creative 16 year old son with ADHD. Both require me to always be on top of things when it comes to both of their school grades, assignments, homework and all things! To say the least, I am an involved parent ~ I have to be!


I really became a Special Ed Advocate when my daughter was born 13 years ago. As a parent to a little one with Down syndrome I learned very quickly that I needed to fight for each and every therapy service she needed. She received a great many therapies and services back then, I was a TIGER MOMMA back then as I still am today. I knew I needed to make sure my daughter had her OT, PT and Speech Therapies if I wanted her to be all she could be in the years to come! So I learned quick that it was going to take a lot of my time and dedication to my daughter to help her be her best. I was always making all sorts of phone calls to secure therapy & doctor appointments. I had to drive her to all her many different appointments daily or some came to our home when she was real little. Of course I'm devoted to her well being today as much as I was when I started on my wonderful trip to Holland. It has become my full time 'career'...to help her and others. It is my passion, to help teach parents to become confident advocates for their children. I love what I do!


My son is in the 10th grade and taking High school all in stride, his grades are still consistently inconsistent, but over all he is an amazing talented and creative soul. My daughter will be going into Middle school next year! I am so not ready for a whole new group of teachers, staff, principals and administrators that don't know my daughter at all and will give me a hard time for what I know to be the best educational classrooms settings for my girl! She has only been educated in the regular general education classrooms. This year for the first time she is now receiving an hour of Special Ed services in an ESE classrom. This is for some extra reading help using the Special Ed Wilson program, with an awesome ESE Teacher! This is the only ESE special ed class she has ever attended other than her daily 1/2 hour Speech and Language school based sessions. She is doing well included in General Education aka regular classes....as long as we have teachers & staff that fully support her.....and me too..... things can get sticky & tricky sometimes, especially if the lines of communication are not fluid. There has to be a line of open honest communication with at least ONE staff person, one that can be the 'go to person'...hopefully it's your child's teacher. My daughter has a Gifted endorsed Science teacher as her homeroom & science teacher this year and he was also her teacher last year as well. He is the role-model gen.ed teacher for others to follow in the way that he communicates with all his families on a daily basis. He sends me an email update on what my daughter did in school that day and what pages classroom lessons were on. He is teacher of the year at my daughter's school ~ with good reason! His door is always open for honest parent involvement/engagement and academic collaboration with his student's parents...and special ed parent absolutely benefit from that the most! I started a blog in his honor, because I have been so impressed with his over-the-top way of how he has provided my daughter a full inclusive classroom experience both last year and this school year. 
Please take a peek at my other blog in honor of Mr. Jeffery Allagood Mariah's 5th grade teacher: 
Down syndrome Inclusive Education www.downsyndromeinclusiveeducation.blogspot.com 


Today I want to talk about my friends. My other Special Ed / ESE Parents that are also involved and care very much about their child's education. My friends are involved and caring parents. They may ask more questions because they have a real concern about things happening at school, yet for the most part they seem to get the run around. These same parents ask to volunteer for things and are told those positions are filled. They ask to observe their child's classroom and it takes forever to set up a simple classroom observation or are asked to come into the Principals office for a little talkie-talk. Instead many ESE parents are ambushed with staff members & the principal and then told their child will have be taken out of their teachers classroom and have to go into a different classroom, starting the next day!! This particular parent just wanted to have an opportunity to observe what was going on during her son's math lessons where some behaviors were noted in written notes home to the parent. This mom just asked for a classroom observation, but instead was told her son needed to be pulled out from that classroom and wouldn't even be in that classroom again! ....Really?


Over the years many of us ESE parents have been called to come pick up our child. "Your child has a runny nose" or the best one, the most common one is, "your child has diarrhea". Like good parents, we run to the school to pick up our 'sick child'....only to find out they don't have diarrhea at all!! It seems maybe our child went to the bathroom (poo-poo) three times that day. There must be an unwritten POOP POLICY out there in our school districts that says; if a child poops 3 times while in school, they need to be sent home! Especially if that child has Down syndrome and still needs adult supervision or assistance in toileting for hygiene and wiping themselves! *This is happening way too much in our schools that maybe our top district administrators and school board members or even the superintendent is not aware of. 


I'm asking....
IS there a POOP POLICY Broward Public Schools has in place? That if a child poops 3 times, the child needs to be sent home?? ESE parents are called and told their child has diarrhea and it's all down their leg, you have to come pick up your child! Only to get there and the pants are not 'soiled'.....all down their leg!! I am not making this up! 


The runny nose one is also a very common one too. The other day a close friend of mine, was called and her daughter was not sick, just her daughter did need to have her nose wiped and blown. Mom had used Saline Solution to clear out her daughters nasal passages, and her nose was draining because of the Saline Solution. (...this is a common thing parents of children with DS do daily at times.) Mom said she was not sick, she just needed her blow her nose and have it wiped and sent back to the classroom. Her daughter did not have a fever and was not sick in anyway. This little girl never had her nose wiped at school that day and was sent home with dried caked on crusted mucus all over her cute little face! The bus aide/helper was amazed at how badly her face looked with all that dried gunk all over her. The school retaliated by not wiping her nose at all while she was in school. The little girl was not sick, she just needed her nose blown & wiped and directed to wash her hands and face or directed to blow her nose even. This is a little girl with Down syndrome and blowing her nose is something that all of us mom's do everyday... several times a day. Children with Down syndrome have low muscle tone and blowing their nose is a learned 'skill' that they need help with and they need to be taught. Our kiddo's need to be told each step of the way to 'blow hard', go wash your hands. With two aids and a certified teacher in this little girls classroom, not 1 of 3 adults would or could wipe her nose? ....Really? Needless to say this ESE mom was not happy how the school retaliated and did not provide just a simple support of wiping her little girls nose that day and instead, neglected her basic needs. ESE parents would never get away with sending our children TO school with a filthy nose or face, we would be reported, but the school gets away with this treatment of our littlest angels?


ESE Parents are wanting to volunteer at the schools to do anything and are being told there is nothing to do, they don't need help. ....Really?  ESE Parents are wanting to get involved in SAF (School Advisory Forum) and are told that "that" position has already been filled, "you can attend and participate in the PTA or the PTO." ....Really?  ESE Parents request permission to go on class field-trips or as chaperones and are told either we already have our parent volunteers or "no parents are allowed, only staff will be chaperones on the class field-trip."...Really?  Some ESE parents want to be the Room Parent, again, "oh sorry...another parent has already gotten that position." ....Really? In my over 11 years at the same elementary school for both of my children, I have never been a room parent. Who are the room parents even? Do schools have room parents anymore?


ESE Parents are met with a CLOSED DOOR and are not talked to like the 'typical parents' that doesn't have a  child with a disability. Parents of ESE children know this for a fact. Staff and teachers either are instructed to not talk to us, or if they do, to refer us to an ESE Staff person or "you'll have to speak to Mr. Principal about that." ....Really? Teachers and staff can't have a conversation with ESE parents anymore?If ESE parents want to know how their child is doing in the classroom and that child has a 1:1 aide, or there is a classroom assistant in their child's class, those aides seem to not 'see us' and certainly will not talk to us. For the most part, it seems our aides & the teachers pretend they are just so busy in their jobs that they can't even look our way when we are on the campus. ....Really?  


Over the years I have had wonderful aides for my daughter, that respected and gave me their time. Not all ESE Students are even allowed to have 1:1 aides today, being told there is no funding. That is a whole conversation in itself! More of our children are being put into classrooms with several other students that would benefit by having a 1:1 aide but our schools instead will put several students into one classroom and share the aide between several students. That's alot to ask of one teacher and alot on 1 aide, now they are called a teachers assistant. The amount of the MATRIX funds generated from just a few students could actually pay for a few teacher assistants to fully support our children in their classrooms! Your child's Matrix numbers and Matrix funding and how it is actually spent is another topic of future discussion!


ESE Parents ARE INVOLVED Parents! They have to be, their child depends on them to be! Taking their child to endless hours of weekly therapies for years and years makes for a concerned involved parent. 


What is going on at our children's schools that more and more ESE Parents are being met with this unspoken rule that they are not to be talked to with a natural honesty and respect? Why are Principals now becoming more the Headmaster that has the final say so on all things to do with our ESE Parents concerns and issues relating to their child in their classrooms?


Where did this unspoken CLOSED DOOR POLICY SOCIETY come from? Why is it happening more and more that our ESE Parents HAVE NO VOICE and ARE NOT BEING HEARD? Is it a bigger problem here in Broward school District? Is is happening throughout our entire State and Nation? ESE Parents are being shut out and held back from being part of the school society. ESE parents are not being allowed to be that involved parent at all grade levels. I was sent an email the other day from a Middle school administrator that I am actually considering for my daughter to attend. This administrator wrote to me and said, "Middle school isn't like Elementary school, things are alot different in Middle school." ....her point is? Parents ~ ALL parents need and should be encouraged to become MORE involved at the Middle school level than ever before! I know I plan on it!


Being a Special Ed Advocate I have clocked my kazillion unclockable hours listening on the phone over the years, all the absolute pure nonsense way too many ESE Parents are being put through today and throughout the entire school year! ESE Parents are good parents, they want to be involved in their child's education and show their child and their school support by being a classroom mom or by volunteering on the yearbook committee or by being a chaperone on the field-trips. 


ESE Parents are being discriminated against on many levels sometimes starting with them just wanting to know how things are or what is going on or not going on or happening at the school pertaining to their child. ESE Parents are a valuable group of good parents that care, that really care not only for their own child, but for their child's classmates. These parents are devoted!


ESE Parents are met with a CLOSED DOOR in their faces more times than not and it needs to stop! ESE Parents are not the enemy, they are and can be a great resource to many, they can be a great help to their child's teachers! If principals and staff would just stop all this nonsense of shutting the ESE Parents out and start working with them from the start! Getting off on a good foot at the beginning of a new school year is important to all parents, especially to those ESE Parents! 


The CLOSED DOOR POLICY that is practiced throughout the land today and I am talking in particular in Broward County Public Schools. I know this is happening everywhere. This attitude needs to stop and be replaced with something different! Positive parent participation with real communication and a positive partnership of collaboration ~ the child is the focus and the reason, we need not forget this!


ESE Parents can help train teachers and staff. Many times the lowest paid staff person, the 1:1 aide that usually works closest with our unique children, the para professional aide or the classroom aide or teachers aides as they are now called, these employees would benefit by having a closer positive working relationship with the ESE Parents. Parents know their child the best, what a great resource! It seems they are not allowed to talk, communicate or write to the child's parents, if they do..it's the most minimal. Most good parents would never leave their children in the care of babysitters or respite workers that they aren't able to talk with...would they? Why are ESE Parents at schools treated like staff are not suppose to talk to them? This is all too common and it's a shame!  


The door is closed at just about every turn we go as ESE Parents wanting to be involved with our child's education. The CLOSED DOOR POLICY needs to stop! 


If you are an ESE Parent, please take a moment and comment on this post. Let's hear your personal story. Tell me if your school has open arms for your parent involvement. I know some schools are absolutely doing a fantastic job of making sure all parents are treated with fairness and I know there are many schools out there that are not allowing ESE Parents the same opportunities to volunteer on campus and especially in their own child's classroom as a room parent or the room mom. If you are an ESE Parent and are the room mom...write to me! Tell me the positive, let's hear from you in the comment section below this posting. If you have experienced the CLOSED DOOR POLICY and you can relate to much of what I am posting...let's hear from you too. Post a comment, society needs to know how it really is out there trying to be an Involved ESE Parent at your child's school.


Our schools are like a little society, if the attitude is warm and welcoming for all and yes that includes allowing ESE Parents some wiggle room to volunteer and ask questions, then it creates a positive happy society. If some parents are being treated unfairly, and not allowed to be involved, it creates anger, dissatisfaction and an unhappy society! Schools need to do a better job of being accepting of ALL parent volunteers, especially by allowing ESE Parents the opportunity to Volunteer period!


The CLOSED DOOR POLICY that seems to be a secret society that only fellow ESE Parents know to be true. Time for a change of attitude across the board! Let your local School Board Members know that, Yes this IS happening to you and you want to see it change too! Do your part and help make positive changes within your school, within your school district and State. Be a change-maker and be proud to stand up for what you believe and you know needs to change!


Parents are the child's first teachers, they know every little thing about their child. Parents will always be the best advocates for their child!